Mental Health Practitioner - Police Liaison

Job summary

The street triage and police liaison services sit within our busy crisis pathway. The pathway incorporates the Acute Liaison Teams at the general hospitals, our Crisis Caf work, The MH Hub, and Police Custody. This post will be predominantly based on the Street Triage and Force Control Room team, but you may be asked to work some of your shifts across the pathway as appropriate.

The work in the force control room focuses on offering triage, advice and liaison to police officers at incidents where there are mental health concerns. It may also be necessary for you to attend incidents where officers are present to support the delivery of improved mental health pathways and specialist mental health assessment.

Following triage to advise police on appropriate pathways, management strategies and care needs. If required provide assessment at community incidents. It may be that referrals will be made to outside agencies following these contacts and police will require support to access NHFT pathways as appropriate. This role will include the practical management of incidents that involve potential arrest under section 136 of the mental health act and arrangements regarding section 135 management.

Main duties of the job

Improve mental health outcomes of those who have police contact presenting with mental health needs.

o Increase engagement in health and social care services

o Contributing management plans and engagement with community agencies such and the voluntary sector

o Information sharing with GPs and developing information consent process

o Improve response times of mental health assessment to officers in the community

o Reduce officer numbers and time at incidents involving mental health concerns

o Reduce numbers of inappropriate section 136 arrest and improve crisis pathways

o Diversion from Accident & Emergency

o Provide training for police officers and control room staff

o Support continued improvements in frontline mental health responses through possible collaboration with partner agencies such as EMAS.

o Crisis Pathway roles provide specialist mental health assessment in various venues across the county to improve service user experience of mental health pathways.

o Your assessments will seek to reduce the impact of mental health presentations on partner organisations including police, EMAS and the acute hospitals

The Post Holder will need to implement data collection across health and police systems. The primary IT system for recording will be SystmOne in line with NHFT requirements.

About us

NHFT is an NHS Community and Mental Health Foundation Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in hospital settings and in the community. We provide over 200 services across the county - as well as some specialist services in bordering and nearby counties. We work together with our partners to ensure that everyone who comes through our doors receives compassionate, person-centred care, regardless of their background or circumstances.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning, to improve the care and safety of our patients and colleagues. We have achieved our 'outstanding' rating by encouraging opportunity, innovation, development and growth across our workforce.

At NHFT we believe that work should be rewarded in every sense which is why we are proud to an accredited living wage employer.

We aim to support financial wellbeing and create an environment where are people feel valued and able to thrive.